


Grimshaw

by gaydemonium



Category: Shadowhunters (TV)
Genre: Demons, Ghosts, Horror, M/M, Malec, Malec Fluff, Paranormal, Possession, Scary, Spirits, haunted
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-09-29
Updated: 2018-09-29
Packaged: 2019-07-19 00:30:35
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,962
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16129853
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/gaydemonium/pseuds/gaydemonium
Summary: Newlyweds Alec and Magnus just bought their first house together and it's everything they ever wanted: Victorian, classy, in the middle of nowhere and with acres of forest behind it.But things start to happen. It's small at first; chairs moving on their own. Their keys placed in a spot where they weren't placed before. Gradually things become worse to the point where they call in experts to explain what's happening in their. One thing they do know for sure though.They're not alone in that house.





	Grimshaw

**Author's Note:**

  * For [blasphemous](https://archiveofourown.org/users/blasphemous/gifts).



"Here we are. Home sweet home!"

There it was. The house that they purchased months ago just after they exchanged vows and put rings on each other's fingers. It was a moment they'd both been anticipating since signing off on the house. Though they couldn't move in right away, the wait was well worth it as they pulled up into the driveway for the very first time. 

"Jesus. Look at the size of it," Alec breathed as he leaned forward in the driver's seat to look up at it. "It's bigger than I thought it would be."

"Better too," Magnus beamed. The smile on his face couldn't get any bigger as he gazed lovingly at every inch of the house. "It's everything I imagined it to be and more."

Alec rolled his eyes. "It's only the outside, Magnus. The inside probably looks very different from what we've seen in the photos."

They climbed out of the car to stand in front of the house. It was three stories with about two dozen windows in the front alone. The door looked like old oak with a lion knocker nailed into the wood. Because it was a Victorian home, the stairs leading up to the front door were a faded white; time and weather wearing out the original paint job. 

"Just picture it, Alexander. A little TLC and this place could look extravagant." Sighing, Magnus wrapped an arm around Alec's waist. "I could get a lot of gardening done here. We'll fill the house with flowers!"

"You're a flower," Alec snorted, kissing his husband's temple. "Shall I carry you over the threshold, Mr. Lightwood-Bane?"

So Magnus entered the house bridal style with his husband. If he loved the outside before, the inside made him fall even deeper in love with the house. It was huge, for lack of a better term. An elegant staircase splayed out before them alongside the wall and it was the same color as the stairs outside; an off white. To their left was a parlour room with a fireplace so large that it could've easily fit six people inside. Off to their right was the dining room. Inside was a long table with a dozen chairs covered with a white blanket. In fact, practically everything was covered in a white blanket. 

"Wow. It's....eerie," whispered Alec as he set Magnus down on the ground. 

"That's just the sheets covering everything up. Once we get rid of them I'm sure it'll feel more homey. See?" Magnus pulled off a sheet which caused a pile of dust to fly into the air. Both men began to cough violently. "Feels homier already!"

Alec coughed some more before backing out of the room. "It does but at what cost?" 

He peeked into the dining room just to see what it looked like. It was a fairly big room and he could only imagine what it would be like hosting parties with both their families over. 

"Hey Magnus?" He called out. "I'm picturing us during Christmas-"

"And it's the most beautiful vision you've ever had?" Magnus called back. It sounded like he was just flinging the sheets off everything judging by how hard he was coughing. 

"Well not only that but like....it's a lot of ground space to cover. Decorating is going to be a pain in the-"

Footsteps moved across the floors upstairs. It sounded like a pair of heavy boots moving around on the second floor though Alec didn't think anyone else was here other than himself and Magnus. 

"....Magnus? Did the realtor say they were going to be here today?" Alec sang out. 

Magnus appeared around the corner folding up a sheet. "Not that I know of. She didn't call to say she was, anyway. Why? What's wrong?"

Alec pointed to the floor above them. "I hear someone walking around."

The bottom stair creaked as Magnus stepped on it and glanced up at the second floor, straining his ears to listen. "I don't hear anything. Maybe it's just your mind playing tricks on you?"

"I know what I heard. It was a pair of boots clonking around-"

"Alexander." Magnus placed both hands on his husband's shoulders, squeezing gently. "We're both tired from the long drive. Let's just....pop some champagne and relax in our new parlour room. Okay? We have more important things to worry about. Like whether or not we actually need any of our furniture from the old apartment."

"I doubt it," Alec said, shaking his head. "This place is pretty much furnished-though I would like my writing desk so I can work on my novel once we're settled in. Think there's an office somewhere in this mansion?"

Grinning, Magnus took him by the hand as he jumped onto the bottom step of the staircase. "Let's go find out."

The second floor was monstrous. There had to be at least a dozen rooms alone on that floor, all of which were bedrooms with the exception of a beautiful office filled with books from floor to ceiling. 

"Look at that. We found your office," Magnus laughed. "It even comes stocked with the classics. Edgar Allan Poe, Mary Shelley-Jesus, Alec. They're all first editions too."

Alec took the book Magnus was holding and opened it. He was right. It was a first edition. "These must've been worth thousands of dollars. Maybe the old owner was a collector?"

Magnus whistled. "Damn. He or she must've had a lot of change in their pickle jar. If we were ever to sell these...."

"Which we're not."

"Alright. We're not. But if you ever decide you do want to sell them...."

Magnus' voice grew faded as Alec wandered further down the hallway. He passed one door with the letter K surrounded by brass butterflies on it. Curious, he placed a hand on the knob and twisted it open. 

It was a child's room. A little girl's room, to be exact. The bed looked musty and old as did the small vanity and bookshelf filled with China dolls, all of them looking like they've seen better days. A small rocking chair sat alone in the corner, and the longer Alec stared at it, the more it filled him with an odd sensation of dread. 

"What did you find-oh. I didn't know there was a child's room here. It wasn't on the website," Magnus whispered as he appeared by Alec's side. "Was it locked?"

"No. But I don't like it. Something about it gives me the creeps." Alec shut the door and turned the key that was inside the keyhole. "Let's leave it locked for now until we decide to change it into something else."

Magnus looked at him oddly. "You're not having cold feet about buying this house are you? I mean if you are and this place truly makes you uncomfortable, I can get our old place back in a heartbeat. Just say the word."

Alec sighed but smiled. "I appreciate the sentiment but I think I'm good. The whole point of this move was to get away from the city and live our dying days together on the countryside. Maybe this novel I'm writing will finally let us retire early."

Magnus hummed as Alec kissed him. "Maybe. But right now, retirement is the last thing on my mind. I'm starved. Want to go into town and see what they have to offer food wise?"

As if on cue, Alec's own stomach growled hungrily. "Sounds like a plan. We can run to the liquor store on the way back and get some champagne to celebrate."

"Sounds like a plan!" Magnus clapped his hands together enthusiastically, opening his mouth to speak when the sound of another pair of hands clapping echoed from somewhere within the house. 

Alec peered up the staircase to the third floor. "Did you hear that?" 

Magnus nodded, though he didn't seem too concerned about it. "The acoustics are phenomenal here! We should take up music in the future. It'd be a shame to let such sound reverberation go to waste."

Take up music. Sound reverberation. Of course his mind would go right to that. Apart from the fact that they were both skeptics, Alec didn't want to jump to conclusions right away before assuming what had been on his mind since he heard the heavy footsteps a few minutes before. Maybe talking to the locals would give them a better insight on the house as well as its history. 

If they even wanted to talk at all. 

\--------------------

Alicante was a small town in Oregon about an hour's drive away from Portland. Their slogan on the town sign when the husbands rolled into read "Welcome to Alicante: You Can Relax Here" which seemed nice enough until they stepped foot into a small restaurant on Main Street called Fray's Diner. The entire restaurant went dead silent as Magnus and Alec stepped inside. 

"Hello there, gentlemen. Take a seat wherever and I'll be right with you," said a waitress with dark red hair. 

They sat at a booth across from an old couple with greying hair. Magnus politely said hello to them but they stared coldly back at him. 

"God. It's like we stepped into the Twilight Zone," Magnus whispered in a low voice. "I most certainly cannot relax here as the town sign implies."

"Shh," Alec shushed him just as the waitress came over to their table. "Hi. How are you?"

"I'm doing mighty fine, thank you. How are you fine men doing today? Are you guys new here?" The waitress asked, setting down paper placemats and silverware in front of them. 

The entire restaurant seemed interested at this point. All heads were turned in their direction as Magnus answered. "We are actually. Just moved here today. I'm Magnus and this my husband Alec. What's your name?"

The waitress beamed. "The name is Jocelyn but everyone in town calls me Jojo. It's so nice to finally see some new faces around here. God knows I'm getting tired of the old ones," she grumbled, her eyes flicking over to the old couple across from Magnus and Alec. "Anyhoo. Here's a menu for you. Our special of the day is a hot turkey sandwich with a side of salad or fries. Can I get you started with some drinks?"

"Diet Coke for me," Alec told her.

"I'll just have a coffee. Black is fine," Magnus smiled. "We'll only need a minute or two to decide what we want."

"Oh no worries! Take as much time as you need. I'll be back in a minute with your drinks," Jocelyn winked and strutted behind the counter to get their drink order. 

Alec couldn't even concentrate on the menu in front of him because it felt like everyone was staring at him, which they were. He wasn't one to have a whole lot of patience so the longer he felt their eyes on him, the more he felt like snapping. 

"Keep it to yourself Alexander," Magnus mumbled just loud enough for Alec to hear. "We want to make a good first impression to our new townspeople here."

Alec snorted. "I think that ship sailed before we even stepped through the door here."

Jocelyn came back with their drinks as promised. "If you fellows don't mind me asking....where is it that you moved? Which part of town?"

"Uh...." Magnus closed his eyes, trying to remember the name of the road. "It begins with a G. Gr....Grin...."

"Grimshaw," Alec responded. "Grimshaw Road."

If the restaurant was silent before, it was even more silent now. The cook in the kitchen even stopped what he was doing to gape at them though the pick up window. The old couple had gasped inaudibly and the family of four that Alec or Magnus didn't even see on the way in had their kid's ears covered. 

"Grim-Grimshaw?" Jocelyn had gone a deathly pale at the mention of the name. "Why there? Why not a nice apartment in town?"

Magnus quickly glanced at Alec. "Well....my husband here is an author so he wanted a nice place where he could write peacefully and not be bothered by outside forces."

Jocelyn swallowed and nodded. "Right. Sure. I mean, it makes sense. But...." She leaned in so that no one else could hear her but Magnus and Alec. "You'll soon realize that the house isn't as peaceful as you thought it'd be. I'm so sorry that you nice men have to live there."

She turned her heel and went back into the kitchen. Everyone else eventually followed suit and went back to their own business, whether it be talking amongst themselves or back to eating their food. Whatever just happened, it left the husband with a weird feeling in their gut. 

Ten minutes after they gave their order, the food was brought out to them. Before Alec even got a chance to dig in, Magnus stopped him by placing a gentle hand on his wrist and shaking his head. 

"Would it be okay if we got this to go? Alec and I have other engagements. Plus we have some unpacking to do."

Did they? Alec didn't recall having to unpack anything other than their clothes. But the look on Magnus' face suggested he didn't want to be there anymore. "He's right. Some of our furniture from our old place might be delivered tonight so we'd like to be home for when it arrives."

Jocelyn almost seemed thrilled that they were leaving. "Of course. Let me get you a container and ring you up on the register."

After they paid for their meal they found the liquor store and bought two bottles of champagne and a bottle of vodka. Magnus had begun laughing once they climbed into the car and started the ignition. 

"What's so funny?" Alec chuckled. "We haven't even started drinking yet and you're already giggling."

"It's this town," Magnus snickered. "We moved to Whacktown, Oregon didn't we? And we just so happened to move into the house no one likes and is cryptic about it all the time? It's almost like we're in a horror story."

"Just ignore them. Our house is amazing. They're just jealous-" Alec paused to watch the old couple from the restaurant walk by them. Once they realized he was glaring back, they quickly shuffled away down the sidewalk. "Fuck. Let's go home. I need booze. And a lot of it."

"There's a reason why I married you," Magnus chuckled, "and it's because you're always reading my mind."

\--------------------

They drank both bottles of champagne and their bottle of vodka that night. When it was finally time for bed, neither Alec or Magnus could make it up the stairs properly because of how undeniably drunk they were. But by some miracle or another they managed to find their room and strip down for bed. 

"My mouth tastes like cotton," Alec slurred. He stumbled into the adjoining bathroom to brush his teeth just as a wave of vomit came up his throat. "Scratch that. It tastes like hot turkey sandwich and Caesar salad."

"Gross," Magnus giggled from the bedroom. "We're gonna have such a hangover in the morning. We don't even have our coffeemaker hooked up yet. We're fucked."

"That's what aspirin and water are for-" The pipes in the bathroom let out a loud moan, causing Alec to jump back in surprise. Even the sink shook with the sound. "We should call the plumber in the morning to get the pipes checked. Otherwise we might not have running water for a long time." When Magnus didn't respond, Alec paused to listen for any sounds coming from the bedroom. "Hey. Did you hear anything I just said to you?"

He poked his head out of the bathroom too see what his husband was doing. At first he just thought Magnus had fallen asleep or didn't hear way he said because of how drunk he was. Sure enough, Magnus was fast asleep on top of the dusty sheets of their bed, snoring loudly and completely unaware of the odd figure beside him on the mattress. The blankets had been raised in such a way that it looked strikingly like someone was underneath them. 

It was unmistakable; Alec could clearly see the outline of a head and shoulders under the sheets. It wasn't very big, probably about a child's height, and the more he stared at it, the more it felt like it was staring right back at him. 

"Magnus!" He shouted. At the same time, Magnus started awake and the sheets collapsed as if nothing underneath them in the first place. 

"Jesus! Why are you yelling?" Magnus rubbed his eyes to get a better look at Alec standing frozen in the doorway. "What's wrong? You look like you've seen a ghost."

A drop of cold sweat rolled down the back of Alec's neck. "I must be drunk. There's no way I just saw what I saw-you didn't see that? Or even feel the weight on the bed?"

Magnus glanced around the room. "What are you even talking about? Look. Come here. We're obviously both very tired from the long trip and stupidly drunk. Sleep is exactly what we need right now."

He turned over onto his side and was asleep in seconds. Meanwhile, Alec checked under the bed and tapped the mattress and peeked under the blankets where the mysterious figure was just there moments before. He felt stupid after doing so, chuckling under his breath and flicking off the bedside lamp beside him. 

"Don't be stupid, Alec. Ghosts aren't real. Go to sleep," he grumbled. He too fell asleep just as fast as Magnus did, but he couldn't shake the feeling that somewhere in the room, someone or something was watching him.


End file.
